- Joined
- Saturday June 4, 2011
- Location
- Glasgow
Hi guys,so looking at buying my first strop.what sort of things do I need to look for?cheers,Ed
What to look for in a strop
- Thread starter monkeytennis
- Start Date
monkeytennis said:
That it's got Neil Miller stamped on it.
Seriously if you can get in touch with Neil he will be able to sort you out.
The best advice I can give you is buy a good cheap one because you will nick it several time while you are learning.
It is all a matter of taste. It will depend if you want a wide strop or the more traditional slimmer strop. Then there is the draw I have several varying from masses of draw from a latigo to one English bridle that isn't broke in and gives nearly no draw at all at the moment.
For me my personal preference is a 3 inch wide strop made from English bridle with nice linen.
First off don't worry about the strop Neil will sort you out a nice one. When you have a bit of experience behind you and you are enjoying your straight razor shaves then think about another strop. For me this took over 6 months of practice before I really enjoyed shaving and was getting the results that I like. Some people pick it quicker than others. After this time contact Neil again and ask his advice and he will sort you out a better strop that will outlive you if you look after it.
For me my personal preference is a 3 inch wide strop made from English bridle with nice linen.
First off don't worry about the strop Neil will sort you out a nice one. When you have a bit of experience behind you and you are enjoying your straight razor shaves then think about another strop. For me this took over 6 months of practice before I really enjoyed shaving and was getting the results that I like. Some people pick it quicker than others. After this time contact Neil again and ask his advice and he will sort you out a better strop that will outlive you if you look after it.
- Joined
- Wednesday May 5, 2010
- Location
- ??? dinnae ken
monkeytennis said:
Its like a lot of things it really down to personal Preference . You have all the different leathers that will produce a different feeling in use, Then you have the second part be it linen, denim, wool felt or even a rougher leather. the you have your width to take into account a 3 inch strop will stop you having to do a X pattern and decrease the amount of times you nick the strop but will be more prone to warping. But I agree with the above contact neil for a starter strop he will see you right. Also remeber not all leather is equal and that not all people making strops actually have any idea what they are doing.
Sorry but I'm still confused about strops. There are all sorts of different shapes, sizes and materials. Surely the point of a strop is to keep the edge of a razor keen. And that's it. Do different materials suit different types of blade then? If they all work equally well someone please just say so that I can pick myself a purdy one.
Edit: I know that quality will vary between manufacturers but when I'm in the market for a new one it will be a Miller strop
Further edit: Hope this post hasn't come across too stroppy. :icon_eek::s:angel:
Edit: I know that quality will vary between manufacturers but when I'm in the market for a new one it will be a Miller strop
Further edit: Hope this post hasn't come across too stroppy. :icon_eek::s:angel:
- Joined
- Thursday April 15, 2010
Like Exil wrote, it's about the draw... Some leather will almost sharpen your razor (my ROMA strop has two leather strops, one "sharpen"- and one "finish" strop) and some you'll barley hear when stroppping with. I usually use two (three with my oil strop) strops for stropping - one with more draw then one with less draw (+ linen strop before). I don't think any strop'll sharpen a blade, but different strops'll be doing sightly different stropping. I love my Neil Miller cardovan strop and that's the most presious one I've got.
- Joined
- Wednesday June 22, 2011
For your very first strop you need to look for two things:
1) Good quality leather. Sadly this is not something the average person knows off the top of their head. So, stick with known names and manufacturers. Makers of quality shoes use the same leathers on their belts for the most part. You want top grain leather, non-sanded. The tanning process and other things come down to personal preference in the end.
2) Something inexpensive enough to not cry over if/when you destroy it. Its just a fact of life. Your very likely to damage the strop. Might not be fatal, but it will certainly mar the cosmetics. Could even make stropping harder. Could even slice it in half. The point being, don't go out and buy the strop with all the bells and whistles. In the end it is just a piece of leather with mounting hardware. After you've been stropping for a while you'll know how much draw you want and whether you want that linen or cotton piece. In terms of ultimate functionality, all the options produce very similar end results.
1) Good quality leather. Sadly this is not something the average person knows off the top of their head. So, stick with known names and manufacturers. Makers of quality shoes use the same leathers on their belts for the most part. You want top grain leather, non-sanded. The tanning process and other things come down to personal preference in the end.
2) Something inexpensive enough to not cry over if/when you destroy it. Its just a fact of life. Your very likely to damage the strop. Might not be fatal, but it will certainly mar the cosmetics. Could even make stropping harder. Could even slice it in half. The point being, don't go out and buy the strop with all the bells and whistles. In the end it is just a piece of leather with mounting hardware. After you've been stropping for a while you'll know how much draw you want and whether you want that linen or cotton piece. In terms of ultimate functionality, all the options produce very similar end results.
- Joined
- Thursday April 28, 2011
I got my first "good" strop from Neil. The ones I'd had before were cheap and nasty and didn't do anything at all.
The one from Neil was a good price and a damn fine piece - well made and very forgiving to my reasonably novice stropping skills. I do an X pattern and have nicked it a few times towards the ends. Though gutted when I did this - probably my nicest piece of shaving kit (!), I stopped, took a breath and told myself it adds character! The strop is excellent leather and to be honest I can't see myself needing to get a new one for a number of years (I only use the straight at weekends or evenings when I have time).
You will marr the strop, and like I said the quality of the Miller strop will break your heart when you do, but for the price its a very fine piece and a great learning/intermediate tool with the feel of something much more expensive. The service is good too
(Other brands of strops are available, the above just expresses my opinion)
The one from Neil was a good price and a damn fine piece - well made and very forgiving to my reasonably novice stropping skills. I do an X pattern and have nicked it a few times towards the ends. Though gutted when I did this - probably my nicest piece of shaving kit (!), I stopped, took a breath and told myself it adds character! The strop is excellent leather and to be honest I can't see myself needing to get a new one for a number of years (I only use the straight at weekends or evenings when I have time).
You will marr the strop, and like I said the quality of the Miller strop will break your heart when you do, but for the price its a very fine piece and a great learning/intermediate tool with the feel of something much more expensive. The service is good too
(Other brands of strops are available, the above just expresses my opinion)
- Joined
- Wednesday June 22, 2011
jody55 said:
The purpose is to minutely sharpen and straighten the edge of the razor.
I say minutely because unless your doing tens of thousands of laps in a marathon stropping session on linen/cotton, your not going to resharpen it.